President’s Message

A Christmas Carol

Greetings everyone! Yes, I know itâ€™s a corny play off the story of Scrooge, but Iâ€™m doing it anywayâ€¦

The Ghost of NSATA Past
For many of you, the recent history of the NSATA is already a thing of the past but I want to take a quick moment to reminisce with you. (Youâ€™ll understand why soon). Board members before us have worked very hard to stabilize the organization and loved our awesome profession. They had to get knee deep in the weeds and were the ones who were responsible for all of the planning, work, and evaluating â€“ constantly scrutinizing every expenditure, every decision, every move. I mention all of this because to forget this and to lose gratitude for that time and effort would be short sighted of us and lead us right back to the weeds. It would also be a terrible thing if we chose by inaction to head back to that stage.

The Ghost of NSATA Present
Because Iâ€™ve had the good fortune to be part of a board that was coming off of survival and stabilization and has now shifted to engagement and strategic planning, I understand how fortunate we are to be at this crossroads. There are so many fun things happening right now and you see them now in our newsletters, on our website, or on social media. As a board weâ€™ve been solidifying some of the stability factors like selecting an investment firm, starting the investigation into working with a PR firm, and laying the foundation of meeting with legislators and others in our communities that can align or support our issues. However, one of the most powerful opportunities I feel our board has is the strategic planning retreat weâ€™ve scheduled for January. Weâ€™ll be working with an outside consultant to really dive into preparing our organization to see continuity as boards change, take advantage of opportunities that are at our doorstep, and plan for continued growth. I canâ€™t express enough how excited I am to be part of this process!

The Ghost of NSATA Future
The reason understanding where we came from and planning for the future is important is because there are lots of things happening in the world of athletic training right now that are creating a monumental shift. There has been a stream of terrible news surrounding athletic related deaths, concussion issues, and other sad situations as well as a big change in our education process. I know it sounds callous, but these unfortunate situations also present opportunities for us to champion the work of athletic trainers. That will come with challenges though and the NSATA has to be positioned to support the shifting times as well as support the professionals we serve (you!). It sounds great to think that all schools might someday require athletic trainers, but do we have the work force to meet that need? Are there other professionals that may see this opportunity and step in ahead of us? What about treating in conjunction with other sports medicine professionals as their roles change? These are just a few of the questions that are before us and we have to look into the future and be intentional about what we do as an organization.
Being part of the NSATA is truly a labor of love, as I think it is for all involved, so that is why I get so passionate about the organization and our future. I also want it to be an association that works for itâ€™s members, so please reach out to me if you ever have ideas or concerns, want to get involved, or need anything. You can also follow me or tweet at me on Twitter – @NSATAPresident.

Thanks so much for a piece of your time this busy holiday season. Bill, Ruby and I hope you experience much joy this Christmas!
Danielle

Officers Nominations are Due

If you or anyone you know is interested in serving on the Executive Board for the NSATA, now is the time to get

involved. The Nominations Committee is accepting officers nominations for the following elected offices: President,

Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer. If you are interested in nominating a member please, consult with that

individual prior to submitting their name to make sure they are interested in running for office. The Nominations

Committee would like to receive all nominations by December 11, 2015.

Nomination forms can be found on the NSATA website or by clicking on the following link:

https://www.nsata.org/2015-nsata-officer-nomination-form/

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact Mike Peterson: *protected email*

NSATA Budget Requests:

NSATA Committee Chairs,

The NSATA Finance Committee is currently working on the next Fiscal Year’s budget (FY April 1, 2016 – March 31,

2017). At this time, I am requesting all Committee Chairs evaluate their current activity status and future

agendas/plans. If you are in need of monetary assistance to help accomplish your goals, please submit an

itemized and detailed budget request for the upcoming year. If we do not receive an official budget request,

please understand that all requests received at later dates may be denied. This is your opportunity to make your

committee more active throughout this next year! **The Finance Committee and Executve Board will try to honor

budget requests based on discretion, the overall operating budget needs and numbers, and anticipated annual

income.**

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Please submit any budget request to me by

Thursday, December 31, 2015(but the sooner, the better).

Sincerely,

Aaron Madsen, NSATA Finance Committee Chair

402-641-2509 (C)

308-236-7016 Ext. 28 (W)

*protected email*

2015 NSAA Fall Championships

With the 2015 NSAA fall state championships coming to a close, we want to take this opportunity to thank all

the athletic trainers who volunteered to help cover these events. We had 33 ATs working 5 different sports at 14

different venues. This includes Girls Golf in Norfolk, Columbus, and North Platte; Softball in Hastings; Boys Tennis

in Lincoln and Omaha. The UNK sports medicine team hosted the Cross Country meet in Kearney. Volleyball was

hosted in Lincoln at 7 different locations across Lincoln and the Football championships were held at Memorial

Stadium.

The ATs who worked these events worked approximately 288 hours covering these 5 different sports. Thanks for

your service and representing the NSATA while providing outstanding medical care for Nebraska’s student athletes.

The NSATA would also like to thank our site coordinators for all of their time in making these fall championships